MiniMeis Baby Carrier Product Review

A lot of men have very vivid memories of being carried on their father’s shoulders as a child. I certainly do, which is why I think I enjoy carrying Ted on my shoulders as much as I do. My heart melts a little when he runs ahead of me to stand in front of my legs, reaches up and says, ‘shroshro.’ His arms are up and I know he wants to jump on my shoulders to enjoy a new perspective of his surroundings and save some energy in his little legs.

The trouble is, he’s recently discovered my ears. In particular, he’s discovered that his index fingers are the perfect size to fit into my ear holes. This wouldn’t be so bad if he would stop jamming them in as far as he can…

On top of the ears, he’s developed a rather vicious fish hook concept where he loops his finger under my eye socket and pulls backwards.

And don’t even get me started on the hair pulling. I’m receding enough without the extra encouragement from him.

You’d think that all of this would deter me from offering my shoulders as a feasible method of transport from him, but you’d be wrong. He’d have to explode some kind of nuclear device to deter me from doing something I love so much. Plus, it all adds to the fun.

When MiniMeis got in touch to share with me there ‘shoulder carrying device,’ I obviously took the opportunity gladly. I haven’t personally experienced any accidents from shoulder carrying, touch wood, but there is certain element of risk involved. None less than the fear of your child falling backwards.

The MiniMeis offers shoulder carrying, but reduces the risky aspects; namely the falling backwards, due to the great back support.

Some key points about the MiniMeis Baby Carrier

The MiniMeis is suitable from children aged 7 months until… well, until they’re too heavy for you to carry on your shoulders.

It folds away compactly, for easy storage and ease when travelling.

It’s relatively simple to use. From 2 years upwards, it’s a walk in the park to use, but I did find the straps a little awkward to get Ted into. Nothing major, but more fiddly than I’d expected. The chap on the video looks well rehearsed!

The price point for the MiniMeis, of £84.95-£104.95, is at the high end of the baby carrying market. There are carriers that are cheaper, are equally easy to use, store and travel with. However, for me, the USP of the MiniMeis that traditional carriers don’t offer, is the unobstructed view for the baby/child. How lovely for them to have a 360 degree view of their surroundings, rather than the hairs on your chest or the back of your head. That’s where this carrier supersedes others on the market.

The freedom for both parent and child is another great USP. Both have their hands free to clap, wave, hold a walking stick etc. The leg straps are key to this freedom. Without the carrier, shoulder carrying is still remarkably easy and far better than carrying the child on your hip the whole time, but you do have to hold on to their feet, which means you’re not hands free.

The question in my mind before testing this out was, “Is this a solution to a problem that doesn’t really exist?” However, since testing this out, having my hands free and having the peace of mind, knowing that it’s near impossible for him to fall backwards, is a real bonus and pretty much expels any doubts I have on this product.

The question is whether these 2 things are worth the £100 fee? For those hardened walkers & hikers, it’s a no brainer.

With all that in mind, the MiniMeis receives an official Dad Network star rating of 4 / 5 stars.

Spearheaded by Al Ferguson, The Dad Network combines a personal blog with an ever-growing community of dads. Created as a personal outlet for Al Ferguson following a devastating miscarriage on his wedding day, The Dad Network has gone on to provide support to thousands of dads across the world.